The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-08-03
MARK TWAiN'S EARLY LIFE.
Did a Circus Ring Adventure Give Him
"A Pointer for a Good story;
f-r....-al l.rr.-.Ll---- -..r.-

Especial Corresponlrnce
KEOKUg, Iowa, Aug. l.-ke0kuk Is n city
with an extended history ani rich with
"reminiscences AMI traditions, bat 10 is not
my purpose at this moment To- deiye deeply
into her mine Of historic wealth or explore
extendeily the storehouse of olden rec0iiec-
tons
The announcement recently that Mark
Twain had been selected % perform tho
solemn duties Il umpire - 70 baseball game,
and the subsequent visit o. keokuk II Mr.
AMI Mrs. Webster. II the eastern publishing
firm with which Mark {, connected. forced ga
my mind the fact that the ancient history n
Ke0kuk rec0rls among the names " irs Oien
inhabitants that Of Samuel L. Clemens. wLo,
Oh being born again % minglc iu the mrlem
society and fame d these tine5. assumed the
shortened cogn0men 4 Mark Twain. Be,iies
this the mother y Marx. an old lady beyond
her three score years and ten. c1n-entel ana
jovial. resides here now. an older sou aud his
wife forming part u her household she is
am interesting link connecting the past with
tue present, retaining all ,er faculties 10 a
remarkable degree.
When Mark lived here BE- was a printer,
an active knight u The stick and rule. MISS
the local craft of the ciiy celebrated Ffaukiil'.
birthday. Mt which Mars Twain was present.
When the printer, here decided o. celebrate
Washingt0u's birthday this year with d ball
and tyI4setting contest he was invited o A.
tend by the committee. who received the fol-
lowing reply, in which be aiiudes to the cele-
bration II the anclen.s:
Hartford. Conn, Jan. o. iss7.
MYDElR sIR-lt aas is--. IL ] remember zltly,
and the occasion wa, Rot % tGI--,-ttinZ contest
Do was 70 struggle over dinner tahIs 1lelIluer
table diIu0t win. I THANK the union very much
for the compliment of their invitation. and ]
should bike io heip at tne present competition, bat
10 wouldn't D. any usr couldn't get tl~ prize,
unless DO an hour leaiel bourgeois might fetch
u. Truly yours, J.. CLEMENS
The readers Of Twain's "RoughIug It.
have been particularly amused at the advon-
lures related II himself. OAend0rf and Bal
lou, who Us. themseiyes in snOH.torm By
travelling in circle during the night, finally
reformed. prayed. resigned themselves b. fate
ami q cruel death Ga the ptile,ss drifts, rut
returned o. their oh habits Just as soon as
they found they had been roosting for soy
eral hours, forlom ani hopeless, within If
teen stels Of a comfortable inn.
Now, / don't pretend % say that Mark
manufactured this story for tho occasion; on
the other hand. must take it as an actual
occurrence, happening in nevada just about
as described, for has not Mark seriously n-
formed us that 81 have scarcely
d detail Of this curious and absurd adventure.
Il occurred almost exactly a. | have stated
it,
Marks citizenship IN Keokuk, had be not
been so positive in his demands that we
should believe even the details " bis snow
storm story, would have caused II suspicion
10 take possession Of my mind long since that
his story was really founded on similar Oc-
currence NOT SO hairbreadth in its details OF
tragic In its possibilities, which occurred al
Fort Madison, in this county, away back in
the 'os. George c. Dixon was an able law
yer u that day, and in connection with T.
Is Elruuerhas,ett. noted criminal lawyer
u ST Louis. said ~ have been related o. the
Iri,bman Blennerhassett whose name az
tarhei t. the REASONABLE designs 81 Aaron
Burr. were employed for the settlers in fifty
or more ejectment suits growing out u the
old half breeI litigations. They We're guests
Of the Madison house, Fort Madison, where
these suits were pending Only about a half
square away j.. Schmelzle kept a restaurant
and pige0nhOie table. Between the hotel
and this restaurant was an open space which
was used only for circus and menagerie pur-
poses and there was always on the ground a
regular circus ring or pathway, for The eIe-
plant and horses tramped into the earth.
1t was very dark night when
Blennerhassett, Dixon and citizen
PANIED Charley Hyde went % JOS 70 play
few games Of pgeonh0le. Amusements
in those days were rare in little western
towns, and time hung heavily, especially on
the hani3 " strangers, after the DAYS bust
hess was over Detained az first by rain,
they became much interested in the game
and il was after midnight when they CON
cluded to return TO the hotel Dixon, al
though lame, one leg being shorter than the
other, was an excellent walker, and lac took
the lead, his companions following without
questioning where De lei. Il seemed 90 them
a long way b the hotel, but nobody muir
INJURED, and they marched on, tramp, tramp,
tramp, in the thick darkness The gray dawn
If the morning began 10 streak the east, the
cock bad crowed for day, and this brought the
landlord, W c. Stripe, now an old citizen Of
Ke0kuk, from his tel, be being an early
riser, and withal jolly joker even
- this day. Walking out into the morning
air, be cSpied the three tired wanderers
trudging YEARLY around the circus ring,
Dixon still in advance, his short leg in the in-
ner side Of the ring, bobbingu and down as
be stunlily lcl his companions Stripe saw
his guests, called 10 them with a morning sa-
lutte and a suspicious twinkle in his eye, and
the matter was soon explained. They had
bcen marching around that circus ring all
night, since they left the pigeonhole table,
10 get half II square To the Madison house,
and were not there yet, though all the time
they thought they were on the way Il have
scarcely exaggerated detail Of this curious
and absurd adventure. IL occurred almost
exactly as | have stated it, according to the
traditions Of the fathers; and who is here to
dispute themi l. Z. u